The liquid component of energy drinks has become everything for me. I crave for the sip, the guzzle, the swish, the slam.

I am still intrigued, though, by energy food products like these new energized beef sticks cleverly named, Lightning Rods. For the normal people out there, here’s a review of Lightning Rods to help you decide whether they could potentially replace your need for energy drink consumption.

Taste

Likely because of a lack of standard energy blend ingredients, these beef sticks inspire a bit of shock and awe by tasting like, well, beef sticks. It’s a real challenge to tell Lightning Rods apart from any other beef stick on the market, impressive! As far as beef sticks go, though, Lightning Rods could be a little better. They’re kinda plain and I usually look for a bit of a “rasty” edge in flavor when it comes to beef sticks.

Ingredients

This product tosses around the two g’s a whole lot: ginseng (90mg) and guarana (undisclosed amount) which delivers 60mg of caffeine per stick. That’s pretty much the foundation for their energy claim. In their PR statement you’ll also find a paragraph where they trash talk other energy product companies who artificially add their B vitamins, since Lightning Rods contain it “naturally.”

Effect

I don’t believe that Lightning Rods are grounded properly, because I’m not getting any strikes of energy. I’ve tried them at all times of the day, and simply can’t get a rise out of them. I wanted to feel it bad, I really did, because I love this product concept.

Verdict

Here’s a fun fact: Lightning Rods are rated to provide 5+ hours of energy. I see this as a sad day for energy products when an energized beef stick jumps into the hour claim game. But besides that comment, I cannot validate their 5+ hour claim the least bit. I believe the only way this product can be effective is if you were identified as a “daywalker” in our addiction diagnosis article.